[.ca] Lonesome, On'ry and Mean: A Tribute to Waylon Jennings

From Amazon.com:
Though his outlaw persona defined the late Waylon Jennings in the minds of many, this tribute underscores the expansive range of both his artistry and his influence. As with Dualtone's Dressed in Black: A Tribute to Johnny Cash, producers Dave Roe and Chuck Mead (from BR549) go beyond the obvious in both artist and song selection. Guy Clark's laid-back acoustic rendition of "Good Hearted Woman" makes the song sound like one of his own, while the sophistication of supper-club piano informs "Wurlitzer Prize (I Don't Want to Get Over You)" as interpreted by Norah Jones. Punk-rock renegades John Doe and Henry Rollins, roots-rocker Dave Alvin, and country mainstays Cowboy Jack Clement (in a trans-generational duet with Pam Tillis) and Kris Kristofferson all find a kindred spirit in Jennings. With "Are You Sure Hank Done It This Way," Robert Earl Keen subjects one of Jennings's best-known anthems to the album's most radical rearrangement, but many of the interpretations are more faithful to the originals. Junior Brown's "Nashville Rebel" could pass as a Waylon soundalike, and Radney Foster slips as comfortably into "Luckenbach, Texas (Back to the Basics of Love)" as if it were favorite flannel shirt. --Don McLeese

No One Does It Like Waylon...:
These versions of classic Waylon songs are okay, but they just make me want to put in the original version done by Waylon himself. I appreciate the artists wanting to do a tribute to this awesome picker (and I am a big Robert Earl Keen fan), but they just don't do Waymore justice!

Barely leaves my CD player:
As a musical nut raised on Folk and outlaws, Waylon is an everyman for me, the liner notes alone in this tribute are worth the money. The story from Alejendro Esceveda just struck me warm. The Norah track is perfect, but im a Norah-phile so most everything she does is. I am rather partial to the Keen and Rollins tracks as well. But the best for me is Kris Kristofferson, doing "I Believe". The song he sung at Waylons funeral, just that alone brings a tear to my eye. There are other wonderful tracks Clarks Good Hearted Woman and Storms never Last by Allison Moorer come to mind. As for the first reviewer, sure some of these songs were written by other people it even says that in the liner notes. Outlaw Country and Waylon Jennings werent about writing the best songs, they were about a mindset and entertainment. Cash does other peoples songs all the time always has. But these songs are still Waylon.. part of a man who has left this world.

Fine Set:
This tribute to Waylon is a fine set. The musicians all seem to have an affinity for Jennings' music, even some of the less obvious choices. Guy Clark is one of the country outlaws; and "Good Hearted Woman" is given an affectionate dusting. Nancy Griffith's "You Asked Me To" highlights the Jennings/Shaver lovely melody, without grandstanding. Norah Jones' reading of "Wurlitzer Prize (I Don't Want to Get Over You)" is a real high point on this excellent set with her bluesy piano giving the track a new sound. Joe Doe relates to the punk side of Waylon's persona and smokes sassily through "Only Daddy That'll Walk the Line." "Nashville Rebel" has a great trad country feel with Junior Brown's deep bass voice and Lloyd Green's steel guitar diving deep into country. Radney Foster with Roger Credager does a nice job on the catchy "Luckenbach, Texas (Back to the Basics of Love)". Allison Moorer does a dynamite job with Jessi Colter's gorgeous tune "Storms Never Last," highlighting the rare softer side Waylon showed. Kris Kristofferson sang "I Do Believe" at Waylon's funeral; his version here is heartfelt with a great slow build. "Lock, Stock & Teardrops" by Alejandro Escovedo works extremely well. The liner notes give great information on Waylon. I forgot he was part of Buddy Holly's band; so the Cricket's version of "Waymore's Blues" fits well. Although it might seem unusual, I really like Henry Rollins' rocking version of the title tune. This is a nice set that Dualtone has put together, a tribute to one of our country greats. Enjoy!

Disappointed:
As a serious fan of Waylon Jennings and generally a fan of tribute albums, I was very excited about this album. What a disappointment, though-- While I loved Allison Moorer and Norah Jones and Alejandro Escovedo, I was disappointed by most of the rest, and truly appalled by the inclusion of Henry Rollins. Not a great choice of artists. This "tribute" does not do Waylon any justice. Stick to the real thing!

A Fitting Tribute:
This tribute album is filled with beautiful renditions of Waylon Jennings' songs. Dave Alvin's "Amanda", Nanci Griffith's "You Asked Me To", and Allison Moorer's "Storms Never Last" are exceptionally good. Junior Brown's worn, tattered vocals in "Nashville Rebel" sound remarkably like Waylon Jenning himself. The tribute to Jennings' life and music contained in the liner notes is moving; each of the performers briefly comments upon Jennings and his influence. However, as a tribute to Jennings, Kris Kristofferson's rendition of "I Do Believe" is worth the price of the album in and of itself.

• Good Hearted Woman - Guy Clark
• You Asked Me To - Nanci Griffith
• Amanda - Dave Alvin
• Wurlitzer Prize (I Don't Want to Get Over You) - Norah Jones
• Let's All Help the Cowboys (Sing the Blues) - Cowboy Jack Clement, Jack Clement, Pam Tillis
• Only Daddy That'll Walk the Line - John Doe
• Nashville Rebel - Junior Brown
• Are You Sure Hank Done It This Way - Robert Earl Keen, Jr.
• I've Always Been Crazy - Carlene Carter
• Luckenbach, Texas (Back to the Basics of Love) - Radney Foster, Rodney Foster,
• Storms Never Last - Allison Moorer
• I Do Believe - Kris Kristofferson
• Lock, Stock and Teardrops - Alejandro Escovedo
• Waymore's Blues
• Lonesome, On'ry and Mean - Henry Rollins